48 hours in Tokyo – a Japanese architecture guide

Yes, call me crazy – 85 km of sightseeing in 11 hours is hilarious. But please consider, I’d only had a little bit more than 48 hours in Tokyo and wanted to see everything! With everything I mean to see as much architecture as possible. For those of you who are new to the blog – I’ve studied architecture for six years. To visit architectural interesting buildings sometimes I take quite long roads, i.e. in the Southern suburb area of Tokyo. I wish most of the houses were in one neighborhood (which would have still been huge for Tokyo).

The early bird catches the worm. My alarm rang super early each day and I started my expedition. “One Matcha Latte to go, please. Can you use my to-go cup?” (yes, I try to travel sustainably). “and no sugar, please!” Try to find unsweetened drinks in Japan – nearly impossible. The day before, I’d made a Google Maps map and noted the most important sights. Creating maps is always helpful to get a quick overview of a city. Japanese architecture, here we go!

Tokyo HighlightsMEIJI-SHREIN

The Meiji-Shrine is one of the most imporant shrines of Japan. What are shrines? Shrines are religious monuments belonging to the Shintō-religion. Together with the buddhism it’s the most widely spread religion in Japan. People who believe in shinto religion don’t worship only one god but numerious indigineous Japanese gods, called kami. Every shrine is devoted to another god. For example the Meiji Shrine was devoted to the soul of Meiji-tennō and his wife Shōken-kōtaigo. You’ll find 80.000 – 100.000 Shinto shrines in whole Japan.

Neighborhood: Shibuya – free entrance

Tokyo HighlightsThe East Gardens of the IMPERIAL PALACE

Early in the morning, I visited the park of the Edo castle, also called Kōkyo Higashi-gyoen. The area is huge. I especially liked the Japanese Garden Ninomaru. Unfortunately, I missed sakura, the cherry blossom by a few weeks. They bloom so pretty here. You can also go on a boat tour around the castle.

Tokyo Architecture HighlightsTOKYO CENTRAL STATION

From the Imperial Gardens, you’ll reach Tokyo Central Station on foot. It’s one of the most important traffic hubs, where most of the metro lines are crossing. Unfortunately, most of the area was under construction as they are renewing a lot of infrastructure for the Olympic Games. I highly recommend not changing lines here. I walked approximately 20 – 30 minutes from one station to the other (ok maybe I just got lost in the underground maze).

Tokyo Architecture HighlightsKIYOSUMI-PARK

You should visit at least one Japanese park. Obviously, there are a lot of them in Tokyo. I randomly found the Kiyosumi-Park, which looked very pretty. In fact, it was owned by Mitsubishi, which bought it as a park to relax for their workers. Later on, the Southern part was opened to public.

My architecture tour brought me to the North of Tokyo. The famous extension of Tadao Ando at the International Library of Children’s Literature is worth a visit. The mix of the modern addition and the old architecture is beautiful. Also, the inside of the Children’s Library is so cute.

neighborhood: Ueno-Park | free entrance

Tokyo Highlights
the techno-neighborhood AKIHABARA

I walked from the children’s library of Tadao Ando through the Ueno Park down to Akihabara. The popular neighborhood brings technology fans together. You’ll find many electronical shops, but mostly gambling halls called Taito Station.

soft toys of any type seen in a Taito StationGaming

Tokyo HighlightsSHINJUKU at night

Shinjuku in the western part of Tokyo is a popular quarter for nightlife. Moreover, there are many designer shops. Golden Gai is very popular; it is a small quarter with more than 200 bars and restaurants. But, the district is very reserved as many bars only allow regular customers in.

Kabukichowalking in the south of Tokyo in the morning

Tokyo Architecture HighlightsRyue Nishizawa‘s MORIYAMA HOUSE

As I already mentioned in the beginning, I love to visit different architecturally interesting buildings. I couldn’t miss the Moriyama House of the famous architecture studio Ryue Nishizawa. The draft was inspired by the theme ‘house as a city’ and includes ten cubes with a varying layout that are spread on the ground plan. There live five parties. The building definitely stands out from all the neighboring buildings.

Tokyo HighlightsROPPONGI HILLS

Roppongi Hills is one of the most expensive areas in Tokyo. The city concept was finished only in 2003 and is a major example of ‘city in the city’. The center of the quarter is the Mori Tower, which is one of the highest towers of the city.

Tipp: you have a great view from the Mori Tower. Unfortunately, it was closed due to heavy wind when I was there.

Neighborhood: Minato

Tokyo Architecture HighlightsRuye Nishizawa’s GARDEN HOUSE

I surely walked around the block a few times until I found the famous Garden House. It’s a little bit crazy when you suddenly stand in front of it and look at the 5-storey open building, in the middle of all the skyscrapers. The building is just four meters long and enlivened thanks to an open glass wall with green vegetation.

Tokyo HighlightsTSUKIJI FISH MARKET

The Tsukiji Fish Market (pronounced skidschi) is famous for its daily tuna sale in the morning. I didn’t want to wake up soo early, I was happy to just stroll around the half-empty fish halls at lunchtime. My mission: eating sushi! Afterwards, I discovered a small porcelain shop. The next time, I’ll definitely bring a bigger suitcase with me. The cute bowls in Japanese design aren’t only beautiful, but also unbelievably cheap.

Sushi-set for app. 11€ and a tasty matcha teadefinitely buy porcelain! You’ll find a great and cheap selection at Plates and Such.what is this?The art of queuing – there is a Japanese Knigge also for this